Gerdelon
In the southern hemisphere, a fair distance from Nieron, stopping just short of the planetary arctic zones, is the Gerdelon continent. Gerdelon was a huge strategic point during the Armageddon Wars- rich in useful materials like iron, nickel, aluminum, and other mined goods. It was, as such, a common field for battles to be waged by opposing militaries vying for control over the region. The Loyalists ultimately abandoned it after a while- too many fronts right on their doorsteps prevented them from participating indefinitely. Towards the end of the Wars, several dozen armies were eventually abandoned, their superiors unable to retrieve or withdraw them. These armies would eventually go on to form new nations, but the cycles of war would continue for a few more centuries yet as old grudges and new hatreds formed. Gerdelon's geographical position along planetary weather currents gives it some fairly nasty weather. Spring is marked by heavy rains, summer by blistering heat, autumn by monsoons, and winter by blizzards- but only across the regions which see the most significant development and habitation by the civilized races. The wilderness does not suffer nearly as much as the settlements do. Why they do this, nobody is certain; some theorize that perhaps the planet or the Gods or some other entity or entities capable of directing weather in such fashions have a grudge against the mortals there, or that maybe the development of powerful magitech or casting of numerous spells might have some effect on the weather which causes it to behave so viciously, or it could be some sort of cursed effect from all the haunted battlefields and barrows on Gerdelon's soil, or any number of other things. Whatever the case may be, the unusually well-targeted violent weather has given Gerdelon a reputation for being a particularly difficult place to live, a place that breeds tough people, and even tougher wildlife. There is not a lot of 'common' wildlife left on Gerdelon- smaller prey animals like rabbits, deer, and pheasants, or mundane predators like grey wolves, foxes, and cougars; these are rare sights, existing in small pockets far away from the violent excesses of weather. Even 'normal' domesticated animals aren't all that easy to find. Much of the wildlife is of the 'dire' variety: dire wolves, dire rats, giant elk, saber-toothed tigers, various kinds of dinosaurs; these animals are much better suited to surviving the hostile environment and have dominated the ecology. This makes life fairly difficult for the civilized races as one might expect- farming is hard enough when your best chance to grow crops is during monsoon season, but it's even harder when the animals most likely to threaten your farm are hungry anklyosaurs or giant caribou with antlers big and strong enough to rip through a car. Most sustenance is as such acquired through naval means, as Gerdelon is in the middle of the Evercold Ocean, which provides fishers a wealth of seafood and almost disturbingly calm waters. The advent of international trade within the last two centuries has, of course, greatly improved the availability of food and allowed the local civilizations the resources necessary to spread and build more settlements. Six hundred years ago, Gerdelon was split between a little over a couple dozen kingdoms. Three centuries ago they were all subsumed and became part of the Forsentine Empire, which now dominates almost the entire continent, save for territories claimed by the Ryengo Empire in the deep south, and the great Fissus Mountains in the east. Many regions of Gerdelon still bear ruined machines and other sorts of scars from the centuries of conflict that have defined the landmass's history. The Forsentine Empire Imperial Ryengan Holdings Genadul, Kingdom of the Great Bell Gravebreaker Tribe Scylla Back to Main Page